Istanbul

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Jan Rosser
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Istanbul

#1

Post by Jan Rosser »

Watching the news and find the coverage of Istanbul so upsetting. I did a Black Sea cruise a couple of years ago and had an overnight stay in the city - wonderful memories of a fascinating place and to see the rioting so close to ancient monuments is dreadful - I hope no lasting damage has been done but I wonder how the cruise companies are viewing it - this is a popular port with lots of companies.
Janis

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Manoverboard
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Re: Istanbul

#2

Post by Manoverboard »

A storm in a Tea Cup.

The problem relates to a few people trying to protect a park in Taksim square re plans to develop the area.

Over reaction by the Police ... and also, it seems, the Daily Mail :lol:
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towny44
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Re: Istanbul

#3

Post by towny44 »

Manoverboard wrote:
A storm in a Tea Cup.

Over reaction by the Police ... and also, it seems, the Daily Mail :lol:
......and Sky News from the coverage I saw yesterday, obviously a quiet time in fleet street at present so any news is fully hyped.
John

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Manoverboard
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Re: Istanbul

#4

Post by Manoverboard »

Out of interest ... or not ;)

We walked, a very steep climb indeed, from the Port via the Dolmabahce Palace up to and then through the park ... tis a haven of peace in this bustling City ... and then further up to the Military Museum.

Well worth a visit. :thumbup:
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Ian Perth
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Re: Istanbul

#5

Post by Ian Perth »

Hope this is a storm in a tea cup, it's a great place to visit on a cruise.
Last edited by Ian Perth on 02 Jun 2013, 19:12, edited 1 time in total.

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wolfie
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Re: Istanbul

#6

Post by wolfie »

Even better to see ALL the sights, plus a day cruise up the Bosphorus , on a land stay.

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Manoverboard
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Re: Istanbul

#7

Post by Manoverboard »

wolfie wrote:
Even better to see ALL the sights, plus a day cruise up the Bosphorus , on a land stay.
Agreed ... I could cobble up a two week holiday in this City and a little way beyond no problem at all :clap:
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arrbee
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Re: Istanbul

#8

Post by arrbee »

The BBC lunchtime news now says 1700 people have been arrested. Getting slightly concerned as we're due in Istanbul on Azura in September and we expect it to be one of the highlights of our cruise. Hope things get back to normal soon

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Gill W
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Re: Istanbul

#9

Post by Gill W »

arrbee wrote:
The BBC lunchtime news now says 1700 people have been arrested. Getting slightly concerned as we're due in Istanbul on Azura in September and we expect it to be one of the highlights of our cruise. Hope things get back to normal soon
Yes, same here, Istanbul is one of the main reasons for booking the cruise.

There's plenty of time yet, so I'm not unduly concerned, but will be monitoring the situation.

But if P & O decide we can't dock, hopefully there'd be a replacement port, like a nice Greek Island.

Also, whatever happens, at least we'll be able to cruise past Istanbul, on the way to the Black Sea!
Gill

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GillD46
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Re: Istanbul

#10

Post by GillD46 »

The Foreign Office announced last week that all but essential travel to Turkey should be avoided.

Hopefully it will settle soon and things will return to normal.
Gill

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Kenmo1
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Re: Istanbul

#11

Post by Kenmo1 »

Has anyone done the Topkapi Palace independently and, if so, any advice please. We have realised that 4 ships are in Istanbul on the day we intended to join a PO afternoon excursion and the only one available the second day is a complete day trip covering all the main sights. We went to Istanbul some years ago and did the Princess excursion to Hagia Sophia but, unfortunately, we were just too overloaded with history from the guide and, therefore, switched off. This time we hope to do Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. I think we could cope with the Blue Mosque by ourselves and we are now wondering if it is worth doing Topkapi Palace by ourselves, possibly one after the other on the second day. Any advice gratefully received. M.

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Meg 50
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Re: Istanbul

#12

Post by Meg 50 »

check what day you are there - we were there on a Tuesday - as was another P&O ship...

Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays!!!!!!
Meg
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Kenmo1
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Re: Istanbul

#13

Post by Kenmo1 »

Meg 50 wrote:
check what day you are there - we were there on a Tuesday - as was another P&O ship...

Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays!!!!!!
That was poor planning on PO's part although I read somewhere that the Palace may be closed to independents but is open to cruiseship tours.

We are there on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. I'm hoping that they might put on a 2nd tour on the 2nd day if enough people end up waitlisted for the 1st day tour. Having said that, sometimes just wandering by yourself without the history overload can be just as satisfying.


Quizzical Bob
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Re: Istanbul

#14

Post by Quizzical Bob »

Easy to do on your own. The modern trams run past the cruise terminal. You buy tokens (in local currency) from the little 'sentry-box' kiosk at the tram station. The Grand Bazaar doesn't open on Sundays and closes Saturday evenings so do that first. On our visit we were delayed by another ship occupying our berth and it was a bit of a scramble. You can walk it all if you prefer. We walked back to the ship Saturday evening and Mrs QB was uneasy but that was just her being her. I enjoyed every minute, it's a fascinating city.

www.grandbazaaristanbul.org


Marlin 48
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Re: Istanbul

#15

Post by Marlin 48 »

Meg 50 wrote:
check what day you are there - we were there on a Tuesday - as was another P&O ship...

Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays!!!!!!
It is closed on Tuesdays but we went on a P&O tour and just about had the place to ourselves as no independant travellers are allowed.


Quizzical Bob
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Re: Istanbul

#16

Post by Quizzical Bob »

You will need local currency for the museums.

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